‘Negligence by City Power’
My son started screaming as he ran to me and his hand was black.
A 10-year-old boy almost died after he was electrocuted by a street light pole that apparently had its electrical wires exposed and posing a danger to the community.
According to his mother, Yogie Padayachee, the incident happened on Saturday, 15 September at about 5:30pm when they were visiting a relative who lives on Hamberg Road. Yogie said the street lights were on. “When Jemaal Witbooi climbed out of the car, he slipped and fell with his right hand on the live open wires. We saw a bright spark and heard a loud bang. My son was screaming as he ran to me. I was on the other side of the car. His hand was pitch black from the burn. I was hysterical because everything just happened so quickly. My auntie, whom we were visiting, put him in the car and drove to seek medical attention. She took him to a nearby pharmacy, as it was the closest,” Yogie said.
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She added that the pharmacist dressed the wound and gave Jameel medication.
“On Monday, I took him to Discovery Clinic where we were forced to sit an entire day to be seen to by a doctor. The doctor examined him and sent him to have his hand redressed. Although I was not given any additional medication or dressing, this whole ordeal has cost me a lost of money,” she added.
Yogie logged a complaint with City Power, but has received no communication from the entity. However, City Power did sent an official to fix the street light pole.
“My child is traumatised psychologically and emotionally. He didn’t sleep at all on Saturday or Sunday night. He is terrified to even walk close to a street light,” she said.
According to Yogie, the children are writing exams at the moment. “I had to send him to school on Tuesday, 18 September to complete his exams. His teacher had to assist him to complete the test because he cannot write with his left hand and his right hand is burnt.”
Due to the injury, Yogie is seeking trauma counselling for her son, which, according to Yogie, she cannot afford. She said she is a single mother and does not have the money. “City Power must compensate me with at least R300 000 for its negligence,” she added.
“The pole has been fixed, but what about my son’s mental state? I tried to file a case with the Florida Police Station, but they said they cannot help since it is not a criminal case. I cannot afford a lawyer to fight this. This was not an accident, this was pure negligence on the part of City Power. My son could have lost his hand, or worse, I could have lost my son. Imagine all that voltage running through my 10-year-old son’s little body. And they just keep quiet,” she said in a tearful voice.
Yogie said she has also approached the City’s ombudsman and was given a form to fill in and submit. “Apparently they are now investigating this matter,” Yogie said.
Despite numerous attempts to contact City Power, the Record had not received any comment at the time of going to press.
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